On April 6, 2016, Idaho Power announced that it has formally signed an agreement with California Independent System Operator (“CAISO”) to join the western Energy Imbalance Market (“EIM”) beginning in April, 2018.

Idaho Power is the sixth utility to announce it is joining the western EIM. Both PacifiCorp and NV Energy are currently participating in the CAISO EIM, while Puget Sound Energy, Arizona Public Service, and Portland General Electric have announced that they will join over the course of the next two years.

Idaho Power claims that EIM participation will allow it to achieve “lower production costs, better visibility for system operations in the Western Interconnections, and improved integration of renewable resources.”

A copy of Idaho Power’s press release can be found here.